Kitchen Backsplash

This is the 2"x4" subway tile we've chosen for the kitchen backsplash. The lighting is not the greatest here - it's clear glass and I think we'll do a white grout with it. The tiles have some depth to them, which creates a neat effect when lit.

Floor Photos

A little difficult to see - these are the floors following the staining process, but not yet sealed. The seal coat should bring out a bit more contrast...we actually like all the variation. These photos are in our master bedroom. Not at all what we planned on, but we think it's going to be good.

Floor Update

As anticipated, we had a frustrating weekend. Unfortunately the stain did not "stick" again. After another test, we discovered the color buffed out. It did leave the floor a slightly warmer gray and after much debate over whether or not to just seal the raw concrete (as is seen in virtually every "Dwell" home recently), we decided that the stain does give the floor a bit more character and warmth. So we did it....and it all buffed out as expected, but we feel alright with the result. Because the color continues to come out when buffed, it also added a day to the process before it can be sealed, so we have to push the drywallers back until Wednesday...which is a big bummer. Every day seems so significant when you're facing homelessness!

Our appliances will all be delivered (to the garage) tomorrow. Also, the siding and roofing materials should arrive to the installers this week...that means installation could begin soon. Our good friend, Vic, in San Antonio thinks our front door will be shipped this week as well. All good news, as we are packing right now to move (into storage) next weekend.

Progress Report

We now have defined rooms! The drywall is all hung. No word on if the mudding will begin tomorrow, so that's a probable no. Despite those frustrations, we are very pleased with the spaces that have emerged and the overall brightness of the rooms. This photo was taken standing just inside the front door - to the left is the kitchen.
Looking towards the living room from the kitchen/entrance.
In the kitchen looking towards the dining area.
Looking towards the kitchen from the living room.

Drywall

This is where things were over the weekend. The upstairs drywall was all hung, as well as most of the downstairs ceilings. Today the remaining ceilings were finished, and the rest should be complete by tomorrow. Then on to the mudding. This weekend we REALLY think the floors will be treated....but I say that with a bit of skepticism. More pics to come...

No news is NOT good news.

The drywall has not been started. Our 6 month old digital camera died. It's not been a good week.

Success!

We found a stain that worked! What a relief. This is a water-based stain and we need to do a bit more research on the sealer, but are excited about the color.
Olive and Artichoke will have a secret entrance to the litter boxes from our bedroom, so that we won't need to worry about keeping the door open between the kitchen and utility room. This will get framed in a bit more before the drywall goes up.
The drywalling is finally scheduled to start next week. The electricians need one more day and then, following an inspection, things can really start to improve. This is the receiving end of the laundry chute located just inside our bedroom. Tim framed it so that a laundry hamper can be placed on the top shelf to receive the boys' laundry and we can have another hamper or storage underneath.

This is the upstairs portion of the laundry chute....did I mention that we occassionally see small elves haunting the site?!

Matt is busy figuring out how to wire for sound in the media room, living room, kitchen, and master bath. He plans to do that this weekend...before the drywall goes up.

More Decisions

While the concrete floors are at a standstill, we are frantically trying to make some final decisions on other finishes. This bathroom is a bit too "busy", but we're going to do a similar tile gradient for the tub surround in the boys' bathroom. This is 3/4" x 3/4" glass tile from Hakatai.com. (Matt gets an excellent trade discount!) We are going to use the white blend that is shown on the floor here for the boys' bathroom floor and then the gradient tiles starting at the tub and going up will have more white than shown here. The darkest blue at the top perfectly matches the cabinetry we got at Ikea.

We are also narrowing in on tile for our master shower and the kitchen backsplash. (I'll post those once a decision has been reached.) Unfortunately, we were hoping to know what color our concrete floors would be before selecting countertop colors in the kitchen and master bath....we may just have to make a blind choice.

Another option

Roy, from Milwaukee, shared these photos of his living room with us. I think the floors look beautiful! He explained the process a bit in the comments section of my previous post. (In brief: The surface of the concrete is ground down to expose the aggregate, an epoxy is placed to fill in voids, and a high gloss sealer is the final step.) While we're still pursuing a stained look at the moment, it's nice to have this option in our back pocket. Thanks again for sharing, Roy!

Floor Frustrations

Well, by now we were supposed to have beautiful stained concrete floors in a rich brown color. Our floors are still grey. For some reason, the stain isn't taking and even though it looks perfect when the acid stain is rinsed off, the buffer, which is the next step in the process, removes all the color. We (the stainer and us) have no idea why this is happening. There were no additives placed in the concrete, so we're at a loss. We may try looking at some water based dyes or think about just polishing our concrete as it is. I've been noticing many homes with polished concrete that is unstained in Dwell recently, so I don't think it will be the end of the world if that's the route we have to choose.

If anyone has experience with this type of problem, I would love suggestions!